


The Strife of a Failure

by Skyeec2



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Angst, Background Character Death, Dragon AU, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Minor Character Death, Other Background Characters - Freeform, Slow Burn, Suicide Notes, Urban Fantasy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-17
Updated: 2018-04-24
Packaged: 2018-12-03 13:50:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11533560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyeec2/pseuds/Skyeec2
Summary: Cloud takes a request in the farm-town of Banora but the monster he's sent after is nothing like he was expecting.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm expanding the Dragon AU I wrote about earlier. It's probably going to be awful but I'm gonna do it.

Cloud stared at Tifa with an incredulous expression, blinking slowly as he made sense of what she had just told him.

“They asked for a Hunter _specifically_?” He repeated, needing to clarify her words. “They wanted an actual _Hunter_ for this thing?”

“That’s what they said,” she answered with a shrug, looking down at the notepad she used to take messages from potential clients. “There’s some kind of unknown creature in their mines and they want a Hunter to come deal with it.”

“They want a _Hunter_ to deal with something in _their mines_?” Cloud couldn’t believe what he was hearing, usually hunters were too expensive to be anything but a last ditch-effort against the most dangerous of beasts and creatures. No one ever bothered to send them after something that hadn’t even been identified yet. “Has it at least murdered half the town?”

“Nope, hasn’t killed anyone yet.” Tifa responded, holding the notepad out to him. “It’s just been hanging around their orchard, hasn’t killed any people or livestock yet.”

Cloud sighed heavily, pinching his nose in an exasperated gesture before reaching out to take the notepad from Tifa’s hands. “They know how much it’ll cost them, right?”

“I told them about your rates,” Tifa answered. “I also told them that you’d be expecting a quarter of the payment upfront for even going out to investigate. They said there wouldn’t be a problem with the cost.”

Cloud ran a hand through his blond hair, looking down at the information Tifa had recorded for him. “I take it you told them I’d go check it out?” He asked, lifting his head to meet her gaze with his own.

“Of course I did, it’ll be easy money.” She responded, giving him a look that told him she thought he was being an idiot. “I already found an oversea ride for you and Fenrir.”

Cloud heaved a breath, dropping his gaze back to the notepad. “This is going to be awful.” He informed her. “I’m terrible on a boat.”

“You’re terrible on anything. It’s why you’re still here in Edge.” Tifa teased.

“Not my loveable personality?” He questioned, fixing her with a faux affronted look.

“Absolutely not.”

A huff of laughter escaped his throat at her answer, echoed by Tifa a few moments later. He enjoyed these little moments in his life; when he was in-between missions and could just relax with his friends for a few minutes.

“What boat am I getting on?” He asked the barmaid once the laughter had passed, returning their attention to his new job. “Please tell me it’s a decent one.”

“Oh course it’s a decent boat Cloud!” She reassured him, fixing him with a look. “I’d never make you take an awful trip.”

“I don’t believe you. Especially after the last time.”

She blinked at him for a moment, cocking her head as she considered him. “Fair enough,” she allowed, shrugging as she turned away from him. “Everything’s in there, have fun.” She called back as she walked into the back of the bar, leaving him alone at the counter. The day had only just started but Tifa still had things that required her attention from the previous night.

Cloud focused on the notepad in his hands, reading the words Tifa had written down.

 _Banora, Southern Continent_  
Rhapsodos’ Banora White Orchards  
Mr  & Mrs Rhapsodos  
Creature within the mines; Type: unknown, Variant: unknown, Size: unknown.  
Quarter Payment on arrival without guarantee of job completion.  
Ship leaves from Junon Harbour 2000. The Dirge. 1000 gil to take you & bike.

“This everything?” He asked, wanting to ensure that he had all the information he needed.

“Yeah,” Tifa called from the backroom. “You’re not ignoring anyone who wants your attention yet.”

She had a point about that, nobody was constantly calling his personal phone in an attempt to get his attention at the moment. He hadn’t had to purposefully ignore someone for quite some time; not since the remnants of Shinra had tried to convince all the Hunters out in the world to work for them and wouldn’t take no for an answer.

That had been a fun year; Cloud had lost count of how many times he had needed to forcefully remove a Turk from his home.

Shinra had thankfully realized the harm they were doing to themselves by angering such a specific and highly-skilled group of people and stopped their efforts. It was over a year before a Hunter took a job from the company. Which had been a feat, in of itself, as Hunters were expensive to hire and Shinra, even in its reduced state, could guarantee them the amount of gil they wanted for their services.

But Shinra had lost a lot of standing during the fall; it was no wonder they hadn’t had any qualms in blacklisting the company for so long. Cloud himself would have been all too happy to continue to ignore Shinra’s existence if they would only let him, but instead he was forced to interact with them.

“You need to leave before midday if you want to get on that ship,” Tifa called out, breaking him from his thoughts. “You’ll have time to check in on the guys if you leave now.”

Cloud nodded along with her words, agreeing with her words. He did need to check in with those two before he left for the Southern Continent, if only for his own peace of mind. “I’ll talk to you after I get back then,” he informed her, standing from his seat at the bar.

“See you when you get back!” She responded brightly.

He tore the filled pages from the notepad before calling a final greeting to his friend, walking out of the bar and out to the streets of Edge. He stretched in the mid-morning sun, gaze sweeping over the busy streets. He made his way over to his Fenrir, mounting it and starting the engine. He pulled on his riding goggles and pulled away from the sidewalk, setting off to complete the things he needed to do before he was ready to leave.

* * *

 

He was able to get on the road before noon, only needing a few moments to check in before he was ready to leave. He was ready to leave Edge once he had been assured that nothing would fall apart while he was on a different continent.

He knew that Tifa wouldn’t allow anything to happen, neither would any of his other friends and previous traveling companions, but it soothed his nerves to be able to check in and have that assurance given to him by the two.

The midday sun was high in the sky as he moved through the grasslands between Edge and the mountain pass to Junon. The pass had been created a year or two ago, after enough people complained about how the only way to travel between the western and eastern half of the continent was a perilous path through the swamp and mines.

The mountain path shortened the journey from a few days to a few hours and made many people’s lives much easier. It let people travel without having to worry about dealing with the Zoloms, meaning they didn’t need to worry about having to hire someone to fight off the giant serpents for them.

He had to deal with a few creatures as he travelled, but it wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle. The creatures were barely anything to worry about after everything he had ever had to deal with; the beasts of the Eastern Continent couldn’t compare to the beasts he had grown up hunting back home in Nibelheim.

Reaching Junon was a simple affair, he reached the harbour town well into the afternoon with plenty of time to spare. All he had to do was find the ship Tifa had told him about; The Dirge.

Finding the ship was easy, he only had to ask the Harbour Master to point him in the right direction. The boat wasn’t the worse one he had ever laid his eyes on; in fact, it looked like a rather sturdy vessel, unlikely to capsize on the journey. There must be something wrong with the ship.

Finding the captain was also a simple affair for him, the Harbour Master was all too happy to point him to the local pub and inform him that the man would definitely be there at this time of day.

“Good luck,” the Harbour Master called out as Cloud was leaving the harbour to find the pub. “And a safe journey to you!”

Those words caused Cloud to freeze in his stride. He turned back to stare incredulously at the Harbour Master, about to call out to ask what the man meant by that but the man was gone, walking off in the opposite direction.

Cloud tried not to let the Harbour Master’s words worry him too much and instead focused on finding the pub and the captain of The Dirge; hoping that Tifa hadn’t _actually_ arranged for him to travel across the ocean with a drunk captain. It was harder than he wanted it to be.

Finding the pub was easy, the captain even more so. That was when he started regretting his friendship with Tifa.

The man looked unkempt; his long, shaggy, brown hair was filthy and knotted and the smell of strong alcohol clung to the man. Cloud nearly walked out of the bar when heard just how much the man was slurring his words.

He would murder his friend if he died on the voyage to the Southern Continent.

“You’re the captain of The Dirge, right?” He asked the drunk man, hoping against hope that the barmaid had pointed out the wrong man to him.

That was the best thing he could possibly hope for.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t what happened.

“Ya bet ya tits, I am,” the man said with a heavy slur. “Cap’in Curtis Quarry, at ya service.” The man, Captain Quarry, saluted him in a sloppy gesture, nearly falling from his seat as he did so.

“You’re going to take me across to the Southern Continent, right?” Cloud asked, fixing the man with a weary, questioning look. This voyage would be the worst one he had ever had the pleasure of experiencing, he could already tell.

“Yeah… I told the missy I could do it,” the man slurred, lilting where he sat. “The Dirge’ll get ya across to where ya need to go. As long as ya have the gil for it.”

Cloud blinked at the man, taking a deep breath to steady himself before responding. “I’ve got what you agreed to,” he resisted the urge to run his hand over his face in an exhausted gesture, he _really_ didn’t want to deal with this.

“Good!” The man’s voice boomed in the quiet room, drawing the attention of the few other patrons currently within. “Ya can pay me before we depart, when we get ya bike strapped in. We set off at 2000. Do what ya want until then.” With those final words, the man turned back to his drink, ignoring Cloud completely.

Cloud blinked at the drunkard, staring at him a moment before turning away with a shrug. He might as well try to find some kind of motion-sickness medication before he had to board The Dirge.

He’d have to get there some time before the departure time in order to get Fenrir tied down, that was sure to take some time and Cloud would much rather have Fenrir strapped down before they got out to the ocean proper.

He was sure that he saw a medicine store when he entered Junon, it wouldn’t be too difficult to find it again. They’d most likely have some kind of motion sickness medication in stock due to Junon being the only harbour town on the Eastern Continent.

He’d find something to help him manage with the trip.

* * *

 

The trip went well.

That was the best way Cloud could describe it; it wasn’t a great trip, nor had it been awful, it had just been alright. He had found some decent motion-sickness medication and had spent most of the trip zoned-out in the cargo hold of the ship.

Captain Quarry turned out to be a decent captain despite the fact that he was an alcoholic, at least he knew how to properly secure his cargo and hadn’t managed to capsize the ship. There was no need for Cloud to haunt Tifa just yet; she hadn’t managed to murder him with her awful choice of a captain for the voyage.

They reached the Southern Continent in the early morning of the next day, docking at Mideel just after the sun had finished rising. Cloud was overjoyed to get off the boat, escaping to solid ground the moment he was able. He took a few moments just to enjoy the feeling of steady, solid wood beneath his feet before he turned his focus to retrieving Fenrir from The Dirge’s cargo hold.

Once they were both safely on the dock and Cloud had bid farewell to the captain, he turned his attention to finding somewhere to eat. The nausea from the voyage still lingered but he knew better than to not eat something this early in the day, especially when he still had to travel an unknown distance; he didn’t want to risk anything happening to him while he was travelling to Banora. What he couldn’t eat now he could always take with him for later on in the day.

Breakfast was a quiet affair; the pub he found had an extensive range of food suited for those dealing with sea-sickness, something that pleased him immensely, they also had large maps of the Southern Continent so he could plan out where he needed to go in order to reach Banora. The town was a few hours inland, on the opposite side of the large forest on the edge of town.

He’d be able to reach Banora before noon as long as he didn’t run into any kind of trouble; there wasn’t anything too dangerous roaming the Southern Continent so he doubted the trip would be too difficult. He deserved an easy trip after being on the ocean overnight.

He left the pub after he had finished eating, stepping out into the warming heat of the day. He returned to where he had left Fenrir, pulling out onto the path and travelling through the town towards the forest.

He kept to the worn path as it winded through the dense trees, shifting with the movements of the vehicle. His motion-sickness still troubled him but it was easier for him to deal with on Fenrir, being in control of the bike, not to mention the ginger under his tongue, was much more manageable for him.

He avoided some of the heat of the day due to the trees around him, their leaves and branches blocked out most of the rising sunlight and kept the forest below refreshingly cool. He doubted that was the case for the rest of the year but it was nice at this point in time, so he would remain thankful for that.

He emerged from the forest a few hours after he entered, the sun was close to reaching its apex and he could see the hilly area surrounding Banora. He should be able to reach the town within the hour at his current speed.

He was proven right in his assumption when the town became visible to him as he crested the large hill in front of him. The town consisted of a cluster of single and double story wooden buildings and a large cluster of trees completely took up one side of the town. He guessed that that was the Banora White Orchard. There was a large building separated from the rest of the town, larger than any of the other buildings Cloud could see; he assumed that that was the home of the owners of the orchard, the people who had hired him.

He turned Fenrir towards that building once he entered the village, hoping to get the information he needed for the job. He also wanted his payment for coming out this far, he needed something to pay for his return trip if it turned out they wanted him to deal with a nest of pests that had taken up shop in their mines. That had happened a few times before Hunters started to charge for coming out to investigate job requests, many of them had been forced to take on jobs well below their skill levels in order to get back home.

It had been an embarrassment and many Hunters had been more than enraged by it.

He dismounted Fenrir at the large fence surrounding the house, gazing inside at the overgrown garden within the boundaries of the fence; there were a large variety of flowers growing in it, along with a large number of weeds, they seemed to have overrun their boundaries and were now growing freely. It seemed that whoever the garden belonged to hadn’t been able to properly care for it in some time.

Cloud approached the door with a confident stride, knocking on the wood firmly once he reached it. It was an old door and very ornately carved, the wood was a deep red and patterned with apples and blossoms. He was certain that this was the home of the owner of the apple orchard.

The door was opened a few minutes later by a slim woman; she was older than him, her face filled with worry lines around her lips and blue-grey eyes. She was an inch or two shorter than he was, barely needing to look up to meet his eyes. Her auburn hair had a sparse amount of grey within, the differentiating colours obvious with the tight bun she had her hair in.

She stared at him with a suspicious look for a few moments before speaking in a quiet voice, her words coloured by a high-class accent. “Can I help you?”

He blinked at her for a moment before a carefully blank expression settled on his face; he shouldn’t have expected someone to recognize him as a Hunter without the swords carefully stored within Fenrir’s compartments, even in his distinguished Hunter’s leathers? “You requested a Hunter,” he reminded her in a bland tone, “I chose to take your request.”

Her face brightened with realization before filling with relief as she opened the door for him, quickly ushering him into the house. “I’m sorry, we were told it’d be some time before someone came.”

He accepted the apology silently, stepping into the house and following the woman, whom he assumed to be Mrs Rhapsodos, into the adjacent sitting room. It was as nice as he thought it would be, all the furniture seemed to have been carved from the same dark wood and was arranged around the room nicely. There were two couches and two single sitting chairs arranged around a low coffee table, two large bookcases stood against one of the walls; the shelves were empty though, nothing was resting on them at all.

“Please sit, make yourself comfortable. I’ll get my husband so you can talk.” She said, urging him to take a seat as she continued further into the house. His ears picked up the sound of her ascending the stairs before he was left to the silence of his thoughts.

He looked around the room he was in to pass the time. It was surprising empty, there was nothing in the room besides the furniture, nor was there anything hanging on the walls. He hadn’t been in too many upper-class homes but he doubted they were as bare as this one was, it was almost as if they were prepared to leave at a moment’s notice.

Mr Rhapsodos coming into the room tore him from his observation of the room, causing him to focus on the man moving into the room to sit on the couch across from him. He looked to be around the same age as his wife, though his short, black hair had more strands of grey in it than hers’ had. He was taller than Cloud was, his frame a bit broader than Cloud’s was as well. “I’m sorry for the inconvenience,” the older man told him after he seated himself, staring at Cloud with intent brown eyes. “We simply didn’t know who else to turn to.”

Cloud accepted the apology with a shrug, “It’s no problem,” he assured the man. “Do you have any more information on the monster in the mines?”

His question was met with a sad look and a negative shake of the man’s head, “nothing more than what we knew when we made the request, I’m afraid.” Cloud noticed that Mr Rhapsodos’ voice had an accent very similar to his wife’s. “We know it’s still in the mines but little more than that.”

Cloud huffed softly but didn’t comment, all he could do was investigate the mines and decide if it was worth his effort; he still wanted to be as prepared as he could be though. “Do you know if it has any kind of elemental affinity?” He asked, hoping that the answer would be yes so that he had some kind of idea about what to prepare to go against.

“We’ve found several scorched trees in the orchard,” the man informed him, fixing him with a solemn look. “There’s been several nights where we’ve been woken because of fires out in the orchard. But we have no way of knowing if it’s because of the monster or not.”

Cloud nodded at that, pleased by the information Mr Rhapsodos had given him. At least he had some idea about what the monster might be capable of, that was better than nothing. “That’s a great help,” he informed the man honestly. “Is there anything else?”

“No,” was the older man’s answer. “That’s all we know about the monster. My apologies that we couldn’t tell you more.”

The apology sounded flat to Cloud but he decided not to bother with drawing attention to it, deciding to change the topic instead. “What about my upfront payment?” I assume you have it.”

The man nodded, pulling a large amount of gil from an inside pocket of his jacket. “That’s what we agreed upon,” Mr Rhapsodos informed him as he handed him the gil. “The rest will be paid once the monster’s been dealt with.”

Cloud nodded in a distracted manner, counting the amount of gil he had been handed; 15,000 gil was currently within his hands. That would definitely get him back home if this didn’t pan out.

“Thank you,” Cloud said, standing form his seat after tucking the gil away in a secure pocket of his own. “I’ll head out to the mines tomorrow morning to look into things.”

Mr Rhapsodos nodded at his words, “of course,” he responded graciously. “We’ll await your results.”

Cloud left things there, leaving the room and letting Mrs Rhapsodos see him out.

He took a deep breath once the door had closed behind him, returning to where he had left Fenrir. He would book a room at the local inn and spend the night learning everything he could about the mines, he needed to be prepared if he wanted to enter them first thing the next morning.

He cast one final look at the large house behind him, an uneasy feeling rising in his chest as he remembered how empty the sitting room had felt. He turned away with a sharp gesture, mounting Fenrir and starting the engine.

It wasn’t his place to judge his clients.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The descent into the mines! Some not so nice things! Some... whatever the word is that means 'hinting to past events that gives information to the setting and characterization'. *shrug* I think that's a form of foreshadowing. More importantly, some Genesis!

Cloud easily got himself a room from the local inn, the typical small-town attitude beaten down by a hefty sum of gil and the obvious weapon strapped to his back. The fact that he was coming from the Rhapsodos’ estate probably assisted him with that as well, the townsfolk might have believed that he was in good standing due to the fact that he had been in contact with the wealthiest people in the town.

From there it was second-nature to set out all of his things to look over for when he decided what he would need to take with him into the mines. He didn’t know anything specific about the mines yet so he needed to ask the locals about it, he would have to ask the Inn-Keeper for directions to the local tavern for that.

The best information came from drunk idiots after all; they had the least inhibitions and didn’t care to censure what they were saying. They were often far better informants than his employers; morons continuously trying to stupidly outdo each other by going further into the haunted mansion were always a better source of information than someone who just knew that the mansion was haunted.

He left his room once he had everything laid out, locking the door securely behind him and making his way down the stairs in order to ask the Inn-Keeper about the location of the local tavern. The man happily pointed him in the right direction, eager to have him out of the establishment for a few hours.

The tavern was a quaint looking building, long and single story with a warm and inviting interior, it was obviously a small-town establishment where everyone knew everyone. Cloud felt like an outsider when he stepped inside and had the attention of all the patrons turn towards him, he didn’t allow it to affect him though; he sat himself down at the bar and ordered something, waiting for the tension to disperse from the room.

He had been sitting for barely half-an-hour when two of the locals took up a seat on either side on him, staring at him with distrustful expressions and lilting a bit where they sat. There was nothing noteworthy about their looks; their thick brown hair, hazy brown eyes and sun-touched muscular forms were the norm of working towns like this.

“What’s someone like you doing here?” The man to his left asked, voice gruff and slurring a bit. “Outsiders don’t come ‘round these parts.”

Cloud watched the man for a moment, staring at him with unblinking eyes until he moved out of Cloud’s space. “The Rhapsodos’ want me to deal with something in the mines,” he answered once the man had moved, turning his attention away from the person on his left. “They seem to think that no one around here could deal with it.” He finished with an exasperated eye-roll, purposefully downplaying the request so as to not rile the men up too much.

“We ain’t heard of nothing like that!” The man to his right boomed, voice loud enough to draw the attention of the rest of the room, indignation in his tone. “But if they want somebody to go die in the mines, then that’s fine with us!” There was a murmur of agreement from the rest of the patrons of the tavern, the townsfolk agreeing that they’d never go near the mines unless they were being paid a generous sum.

“Are the mine that dangerous?” Cloud asked, putting the right amount of disbelief in his voice to keep the man talking.

“You bet your arse they are!” The bombastic man answered, waving his hand in a wild movement. “Fuckin’ huge. Go on for miles in any direction with enough twists and turns to drive a man insane and on top of that, there’s the fact that they go pretty deep down into the earth. Nobody’s explored it all since all the maps got destroyed.”

“Sounds like a bit of a labyrinth,” Cloud said, earning a nod from the men on either side of him. “What were they for anyway?”

“They started out as natural connecting tunnels,” the first man informed him. “I think Shinra worked on them for a while, before they lost interest in us here that is.”

Cloud froze when the name ‘Shinra’ was said by the man next to him, mind rapidly turning as he tried to think of a reason why the company would have been interested in a small farm town like this one. ‘Shinra?” He eventually questioned, keeping his voice level as he attempted to get more information out of the man. “How long ago was that?”

“About twenty years, I think.” He answered with a shrug. “Nobody’s gone down into the mines since then.”

Cloud hummed thoughtfully before turning the conversation to what he had originally wanted to learn about. “You haven’t seen anything weird around here lately though? Like random fires in the night?”

“None of us have seen anything like that. I’d know if anyone had seen fires in the field or out in the orchards.”

“It’s probably nothing then,” Cloud said with a shrug, purposefully dismissing the topic. “The Rhapsodos’ are probably just overreacting over nothing.”

“Yeah, they’ve been a bit off the past year or two.” The bombastic man cut in suddenly, voice sad. “First that stuff with Shinra went down, then their son disappeared. It’s all just been a mess for them.”

“Yeah,” Cloud responded softly, empathy clear in his voice. “A lot of people got screwed over when the whole Shinra thing happened.” He paused for a moment, waiting a respectable amount of time before asking his question. “What happened with their son?”

“He was just gone. There one day and gone the next, like he’d never even been there to begin with.”

“Just gone?” He asked, brows furrowed as he listened to the man. “And he hasn’t been seen since?”

“Yeah, just gone. Hasn’t been seen since.”

“Well, hopefully he’s alive wherever he is,” Cloud said, earning a solemn nod from the bombastic man.

“Yeah, he’s a good kid. Hope he’s ok.” The words were followed by a murmur of agreement from the rest of the tavern before everyone returned to their previous conversation, their interest in Cloud lost.

He spent a few more minutes in the tavern before leaving the establishment and returning to his room, starting to plan out what he would need in order to go into the mines the next day. If the mines were indeed as large and expansive as he had been told then he would need to prepare for that, he was well aware of how confusing underground cave systems could be. Nibelheim had had a cave system like that, winding through the entirety of the Nibel mountains, he had been forced to go into them on more than one occasion to deal with a dragon infestation too close to the village.

Cloud easily picked out the things he would need to navigate the mines from what he had spread out earlier, putting the items off to the side for the moment. Then he turned his attention to his sword, taking the large puzzle-sword apart in order to set up each of the six blades for the next day.

Mr Rhapsodos had told him that they’d seen fire in the fields and though nobody else had seen the flames it was all the information Cloud had, so he set up his blades in preparation for that; putting as much flame-resistance as he could into his weapons. That was, admittedly, quite a bit after spending as much time hunting dragons in the Nibel mountains as he had. He wouldn’t be able to withstand a direct fireball from a full-grown dragon but he doubted that there’d be anything that dangerous down there.

He wasn’t sure what he was going to find in the mines but he could guarantee that it wasn’t anything too dangerous; if it was then there’d be more people aware of its existence, perhaps a few missing people or animals and other, more obvious, signs of its presence. If there was anything in the mines then it was most likely something small and not worth his time.

According to what he had learned at the tavern he would either be looking for one of Shinra’s failed experiments or the long-dead body of the Rhapsodos’ son. He hadn’t experienced it yet but he’d heard stories for other hunters of them taking on jobs just to discover that they were delivering a child’s skeleton back to their parents.

He would prefer if that didn’t happen but he couldn’t dismiss the possibility from his thoughts, especially after what he’d heard in the tavern. He set aside a large empty bag to take with him just in case.

He was as prepared as he could be with what little information he had, so he collected all the things he wouldn’t be bringing with him and returned them to his pack. He then arranged what he would be taking for easy access in the morning, placing them nearly on the small table in the room.

With everything in order Cloud relaxed and prepared for sleep, wanting to get a least a few hours of rest before his trek through the mines the next morning.

* * *

 

Cloud was awoken by the gently grey-light of dawn creeping into his room from the open window, the rays of early-dawn piercing his eyelids and dragging the man from his slumber. He groaned as he lifted himself from the bed, the blanket pooling around his bare waist as he levelled himself to a seated position.

He pulled himself from the sleep-warm blankets with no lack of reluctance, stretching until he felt the satisfying pop of his spine. A deep, pleased groan passed his lips, followed closely by a heavy sigh as he dropped his arms back to his side, shaking them a bit to remove the last bit of lethargy from his limbs.

He slowly moved to dress himself, sleep clinging to his mind as he proceeded with the familiar routine of preparing for his day. He forced his sleep-heavy fingers to cooperate and was soon dressed in his well-worn working clothing, the protective spells weaved into the fabric settling over him in a warm, familiar embrace. He then turned his attention to the tools he had decided he would be taking with him, tucking paper and pencils, potions and elixirs into the numerous pockets of his shirt, jacket and pants. He ensured he had more than enough food and water to last in the mines before turning to his blades.

He pieced the blades together in one large weapon and strapped it to his back, stepping out of his room once he was done. He locked the door behind him before he made his way down the stairs and out of the building all together, he didn’t worry about the few possessions he had left in his room; he and the Inn-Keeper had agreed that the room would be held for a week and if he didn’t return before then than the man would pronounce him dead, call Tifa and be allowed to keep what was left in his room. It was a normal arrangement for Hunters to make, Cloud had already made several of them in his life and would make more before his inevitable death.

The farm town was starting to wake around him, the people used to waking early to start their work for the day. He missed the energy of towns like this, there was something about small working towns like this that just couldn’t be found in large cities like Edge; the two simply couldn’t compare with each other.

He responded to the few people that greeted him as he retrieved Fenrir from the garage attached to the Inn, recognizing them as men from the tavern the night before. He walked the bike out until he could mount the vehicle and turned it towards the direction of the mines. The entrance was on the other side of the apple orchard, less than an estimated half-an-hour by Fenrir if he took things slow and less than an hour away if he only travelled by foot.

He started Fenrir and set off away from the middle of the town, moving through the street towards his destination with little effort or struggle on his part.

The orchard was silent as he passed it, driving under the archway created by the numerous trees that had grown bent over the road leading from the town to the mines. The tree trunks were a dark grey and the leaves were a brilliant emerald, the deep purple things he saw hanging from the branches were what he assumed to be the Banora White apples the town was famous for. They seemed to be close to being ready for picking, odd considering summer and the usual picking season was still at least a month away.

Cloud forced himself to turn his attention away from the fruit, focusing on the rapidly brightening road in front of him. The early-morning light trickled through the leaves of the trees, casting the scenery around him in a warm light. This place was beautiful, he would have to consider returning when he wasn’t working.

The orchard fell away suddenly, the trees giving way to a large grassy hill with a single large tree standing proudly atop it. Beyond the hill was the entrance to the mines, tucked into the side of the hill and leading down into the earth below. Cloud slowed Fenrir to a halt next to the entrance, dismounting from the bike and cautiously approaching the dark hole built into the side of the hill.

There wasn’t any sign of a monster nearby; no footprints or charred patches were visible in the area surrounding the entrance and he could hear nothing out of the ordinary, in fact the air was filled with the sounds of early-morning birds uncaring of his presence of the ordeal he was about to face. Their bright songs added an eerie quality to his surroundings, as if they were cheerfully sending him off to discover the horrors that awaited him inside.

Cloud took a breath, lighting a small lantern and attaching it to his hip before retrieving one of the pieces of paper he had stored in his pocket along with a pencil. He marked his starting place on the paper and stepped into the mines fully, starting his exploration of the vast labyrinth spread out before him.

There were several twists and turns within the labyrinth and he reached numerous dead ends as he slowly made his way through the mines, he marked everything on his makeshift map as he explored. He ensured that he kept to the same wall as he moved through the caverns to avoid turning back on himself, he also placed a marker on each passageway he went through, printing a noticeable symbol and placing a corresponding one on his map.

It was slow going but Cloud knew that that was necessary due to how expansive he had been told the mines were, he didn’t want to make a mistake and end up lost down here. His slow progress also ensured that he knew exactly where the exit was situated at all times, even as he descended further into the earth.

He spent two days in the labyrinth, mapping out it’s twists and turns and the various levels he had managed to reach, before he found what he had been looking for. The passage he was in had opened up suddenly to a wide, spacious cavern and he had been forced to pause to take in what he was seeing.

The cavern was large and empty, lit by a variety of crystals that glowed blue with an inner light. He could see a large pool of deep, still water taking up a large part of one side of the cavern, the soft light reflecting off it in a pleasing display. The stale air of the rest of the mines was suddenly replaced by the overwhelming smell of sickness and decay that permeated the cavern; Cloud recoiled at the scent, needing a moment to steel himself before he entered the cavern properly.

He was sure that he had seen something moving at the very back of the cavern, he needed to investigate what was back there before he continued his search. The smell of decay and death hanging in the air set his stomach rolling and it only got stronger the closer he got to the shadowed for at the other end of the cavern.

As he cautiously approached the form, he noticed that the ground was slowly becoming more charred as he moved forward, the stone of the cavern gradually showing more signs of exposure to intense heat the closer he got to the other side of the cavern. It seemed that Mr Rhapsodos might have been onto something when he had told him about the fires in the orchard, though he was starting to doubt that whatever this was had somehow managed to drag itself through the mines and up to the surface to do so.

He froze a few feet from the shadowed form, horror filling his chest as he finally identified what it was that was before him. This wasn’t a monster like he had been hoping for, nor was it the skeleton he had realistically been expecting to find.

No, the figure frantically attempting to force itself back into a crevice and away from him was a human. A terrified young man grabbed in little more than a pair of ragged pants and staring at him with a glowing, petrified gaze, tracking his every moment with a single-minded intensity. Cloud found himself trapped by the other’s gaze and dropped to his knees thoughtless when he noticed the tight, iron shackles around the young man’s wrists that were connected to the floor of the cavern by large, heavy chains.

He remained there, watching the shaking young man stare at him with shock and terror and took a deep breath before he started to speak in a soft, quiet voice. “Hey, it’s alright.” He promised the human in front of him, keeping his hands pressed to the ground in front of him where the other could easily see. “I’m not going to do anything to you, I promise.” He continued to speak in soft words, trying to coax the other away from where he was pressed against the wall.

The other slowly uncurled himself from his position against the wall, watching Cloud intently as he shifted in place and caused his chains to shift with the heavy sound of metal on metal. The cavern was just lit enough for Cloud to be able to make out the details of the man’s features, sunken from starvation and covered in a thin layer of dirt. The man had sharp aristocratic features; a narrow face with sharp cheek bones, a refined nose and bright, almond eyes. He bore a striking resemblance to the Rhapsodos’, but Cloud couldn’t think about that at the current time; he needed to focus on this over the implications that were slowly becoming apparent to his mind.

What was also visible to him were the few extra limbs that declared the young man to be one of the draconics created by Shinra decades before, the same draconics that had led to the company’s fall from grace and power. Though there was quite a bit off about the state of the features; there was only one horn visible amongst the matted, filthy mess of the other’s hair and one double-jointed bat-like wing dragging along the ground beneath him. Cloud couldn’t tell the colouring of the limbs due to the soft blue light the glowing crystals were bathing the cavern in.

Cloud watched as the young man halted his movements once he was away from the wall, remaining huddled around himself as he stared back at him. There was no doubt that the smell of disease was coming from the form in front of him.

“Hey there,” Cloud muttered, shifting forward slowly as to not freak out the other too much. “How about we get you out of those? They’ve got to be pretty uncomfortable.” He continued to shuffle forward, remaining prepared to defend himself from an attack as he cautiously approached the draconic.

The young man opened his mouth and attempted to say something but was unable to do so and only managed to barely croak out a rough, hoarse sound. His features twisted at the noise, eyes clenching shut as his wing folded tightly against his bare side. He took a soft, shuddering breath and turned away from Cloud, curling into himself once more.

Cloud continued to shift forward, slowly retrieving a water skin from his belt and offering it to the other. “Here, drink this.” He said, stilling himself when the glowing gaze snapped back to focus on him. “It’s alright, you need it more than I do.”

There were a few moments of stillness between them before the other slowly reached out to take the skin from Cloud’s hand, using his left hand instead of the closer right hand which remained stiff by his side, the sight of his humanoid hands confirmed that he was one of the less dangerous of Shinra’s creations. He turned away from his as he took a few sips from the skin, shifting closer to where his chains connected to the floor so he wasn’t forced to strain his limbs in order to bring it to his mouth. He turned back to Cloud once he was finished, breathing a soft “thank you,” in a voice quiet that contained small hints of what sounded like a high-class accent.

Cloud nodded, returning the skin to his belt before focusing once again on convincing the young man to let him remove the shackles from his form and get him out of the labyrinth of the mines. “Let’s get you out of these,” he said, repeating his earlier words. “You look awful.”

He felt his brow furrow when the young man shook his head venomously, “I can’t,” he muttered, clutching his hands close to his chest with a rattling sound. “I can’t. I’m a monster.”

Cloud blinked a him, flicking his gaze over the other quickly before responding. “You look like a human to me,” he said, ignoring the stunned stare that was fixed on him for his words. “A little worse-for-wear but still human.”

The other blinked at him slowly, creeping forward to ask in a broken, hopeful voice. “Y… you think I’m human?” His words were barely audible over the sound of the shifting chain but Cloud heard him all the same. The wing twitched a bit where it was pressed to the young man’s side, the gesture drawing Cloud’s attention.

“Well, yeah,” Cloud answered with a shrug, moving closer to the other to press the young man into his warmth. “Why wouldn’t I?” He was well aware of a few reasons why the draconic before him would believe that, especially if the other’s current state was anything to go off of.

A harsh noise fell from the other’s mouth but he moved with Cloud’s gently coaxing and pressed forward into his space in a desperate search for reassurance and safety. Cloud paused for a moment before he wrapped an arm around the other’s form, nothing the soft fur-like texture that seemed to run along the other’s spine when his hand stopped there.

He also noted the way one half of the draconic’s back radiated heat but forced the discovery from his mind, focusing instead of getting the young man out of his shackles and back to the surface. He would need to be careful of touching the other’s back, since it seemed that whatever infection the other had was on that area.

But before that, it was probably in his best interest to introduce himself to the draconic before things progressed and he started to attempt to remove the iron chains trapping him in the cavern. “What’s your name?” He asked, earning a confused look from the other. “Mine’s Cloud.”

The draconic blinked at him for a moment, slowly realizing what he was asking. “Genesis,” he muttered, wing lifting from where it had spread out next to them. “Genesis… Rhapsodos.”

Cloud nodded with a soft hum, forcing himself not to show any reaction to the other’s name. He definitely needed to question his employers about this little discovery; the fact that they had done something like this to their child, hurt him in such a way and trapped him here until they found someone to murder him for them left him enraged.

“Well, Genesis,” he said, testing the other’s name on his tongue. “Let’s get you out of these.”


	3. Chapter 3

Cloud lifted Genesis’ hands up to the light of the glowing crystals around them, inspecting the shackles that covered the draconic’s pale flesh. The crystals soft light lit the skin in a pale blue colour and further inspection of the skin around the metal revealed red, scarred skin and blood dripping from underneath the metal.

The shackles seemed to be almost fused together and there was a distinct lack of clasp or anything that would indicate that they would be able to open. It seemed that whoever had trapped the draconic here hadn’t planned on ever freeing him, most likely hoping that he’d starve to death down here, alone in the dark. Unfortunately, that hadn’t been the case.

Genesis was still alive down here, despite all the odds stacked against him.

Cloud set the shackled hands down, a slight furrow in his brow as he turned his attention to the materia he had brought with him. A small bit of Gravity magic should be enough to break the metal, without causing any extra harm to Genesis.

His Gravity was resting in his sword though, he’d have to draw it to retrieve the orb from within the weapon; the task at hand requiring a bit more finesse than he could manage if he casted it from the sword. Decision made he focused back on the other, noting that he was being watched with the single-minded intensity that each of the draconics seemed to possess. “I need something from my sword to get those off,” he said, gesturing to the metal on his wrists. “You gonna be ok with that?”

He thought it was best to inform Genesis of what he was about to do, give the other a warning before he drew his weapon and sent him into hysterics once more. For both their safeties.

“Yes,” Genesis answered, wing folding tightly against his side as minute tremors started to wrack his form. He was reluctant at first but Cloud was soon able to release himself from the other’s grip and put enough space between them to draw his sword, moving with slow obvious movements.

Genesis still flinched at the sight of the large blade, shifting uncomfortably as Cloud expertly pulled it apart in search of the materia he needed, assembling it once more when he held his Gravity in his hands. He relaxed as Cloud returned his sword to its resting place upon his back, moving back into his space once the weapon was out of the way.

Cloud reached out for Genesis’ hand once the draconic was close enough, holding it securely and raising his Gravity materia to rest just below the shackle. He feed a small bit of energy into the orb, directing it into the shackle slowly to ensure that the spell remained on target. The metal started to crumble away from Genesis’ skin within a few moments, revealing the scarred and broken skin beneath, wet and sticky from congealing blood.

He stopped feeding energy into the Gravity and moved it away from Genesis’ hand, activating the Cure he kept in his bracer and directing it into the wounds that had just been revealed. They didn’t close fully or properly, not that he had expected they would after going so long untreated; Cloud didn’t doubt that the skin would remain heavily scarred for the rest of the draconic’s life. Genesis had flinched at the feeling of magic seeping into his wounds, wing flaring up and out, but relaxed when it only mended the wounds as much as it could, leaning against Cloud’s side with a soft whine.

Cloud pulled back the magic when it started to disperse from the other’s wrists, stopping the healing magic from seeking out other injuries to treat until they were somewhere safer and he had a professional telling him what to do. He turned his attention to the shackle still adorning Genesis’ other wrist, feeding Gravity magic into it until it to fell away to reveal that the skin beneath was almost an exact copy of the first wrist, scars and sluggishly bleeding wounds which he channelled healing magic into as he tucked his Gravity away into an inner pocket of his jacket.

He released the limbs after one final inspection, watching as Genesis cradled them close to his chest and stared at the freed skin with a sad expression. The skin looked ruined, broken open again and again by his struggles against the metal of the shackles until there was a drastic difference between his wrists and the skin of the rest of his arm. Cloud made a note to get something to cover up the skin once he got Genesis out of here and he was sure the other wouldn’t collapse on him unexpectedly.

“There we go,” Cloud said, speaking more to fill the quiet and draw Genesis’ attention than the need to say the words. Glowing blue eyes turned to him immediately, a narrow chin resting against his shoulder as the draconic blinked up at him slowly. “We can get you out of here now.” He said, unfazed by how close the other was to him; experience from dealing with the other two telling him how important physical contact and comfort was to draconics.

Genesis nodded hesitantly, wing twitching where it rested before folding against his back. “If you believe it’s safe,” he said, almost mumbling the words as he ducked his face away from Cloud’s gaze. He didn’t make any move to remove himself from Cloud’s space though, remaining pressed against him with his hands cradled against his chest.

“Safer than staying here,” Cloud promised, slowly pulling away from him despite the way Genesis tried to keep him in place by gripping his jacket tightly in white, knuckled hands. Cloud slowly lifted himself to his feet, encouraging the draconic to rise with him. Genesis did indeed follow him to his feet, leaning heavily against Cloud’s side due to the fact that his legs weren’t steady enough to support his body weight completely. “We’ll need to take thing slow but we’ll be out of here soon.” He assured the other, wrapping an arm securely around him and taking most of his weight as he directed them out of the cavern.

Genesis trembled under his hand, wedging himself against his side as they gradually made their way across the expanse of the cavern. His legs were weak from prolonged disuse and he whimpered softly with every other step but he didn’t voice any other complaints, remaining nearly silent as Cloud lead him away from the shackles that had bound him in the mines for so long.

Reaching the opening of the cavern, Cloud retrieved his map from within his jacket and handed it to Genesis to hold. “Keep a hold of this,” he said at the confused look Genesis gave him, unfolding the paper to show the contents to the other man. “It’ll help us get out of here without getting lost.”

Genesis blinked at him, reaching out and grasping the map within his hands and looking over it curiously. “How do you read it?” He asked, scanning the tunnels and caves Cloud had marked down during his exploration of the mines.

“There’s corresponding symbols on the walls of the tunnels,” Cloud explained, gaze trained on the paper as well. The first few ones they’d have to follow were simple enough to remember but he’d still preferred to have the map on hand so they didn’t wander from the path they needed to follow. “We’re currently at the rectangle here,” he pointed at a tunnel that remained open and incomplete, “and we need to follow the wing in the next set of diverging paths.”

“This is… complicated,” Genesis mused, lifting his gaze from the map back up to Cloud.

“I’ve been exploring for two days,” Cloud shrugged, resuming their path from the cavern and into the labyrinth of the mines. “It’s necessary for a place like this.”

Genesis hummed softly, falling silent as Cloud directed them through the labyrinth, only speaking to respond to the few questions that Cloud asked and the pained noises that he failed to contain. They managed to exit the mines within a few hours, the direct path Cloud guided them through taking far less time than his initial exploration had.

They emerged from the mines in the hours of late evening, the last rays of the sunset painting the sky and trees around them a deep magenta colour as the night steadily crept in. Genesis froze abruptly, almost falling to the ground if not for the grip Cloud kept on him, and stared at the sky above him, taking in deep breaths.

Cloud suddenly remembered that the other had disappeared from Banora’s attention two years ago and this was most likely the first time he’d been out in the open in that time. He dispelled the thought from his mind and the anger that came with it, focusing instead on heralding the other to where Fenrir rested a few feet away. He needed to focus on getting Genesis back to his room at the inn so he could examine his other injuries and contact Aerith for assistance if he needed it.

She wouldn’t be pleased with him for calling her so late at night, especially with the time zone difference, but she’d forgive him when he explained the situation to her. She could hardly turn away an injured person and after what Genesis had been through, he doubted she’d hold the few hours of lost sleep against him.

Zack and Angeal might but they hardly mattered at the moment.

There was also the fact that he’d need to call Cid and ask him to come help him get the draconic back to Edge, as he didn’t think that Genesis would tolerate the long sea voyage very well and Aerith would most likely demand he get him back as quickly as he could. Cid would agree to doing it, even if he complained the entire time.

Cloud would have to do something nice for the two of them after this.

He urged Genesis onto Fenrir, directing him exactly where he wanted him before getting onto Fenrir in front of him and placing his hands so that he was bracing himself with his hands on Cloud’s hips. “We’re going to go slow,” he promised the nervous draconic, explaining to him in hopes of relaxing him for the trip back to Banora. “Keep your hands here,” he said, tapping one of the hands under his own, “and try to move with me, alright?”

“I don’t like this,” Genesis told him, nervous tremor in his voice. He remained where Cloud had arranged him though, almost plastered to his spine. “This does not feel safe.”

“I know,” Cloud said, squeezing one of his hands under his own in what he hoped was reassurance. “The road’s pretty straight though, we’ll be fine.”

“Ok,” Genesis breathed, swallowing audibly behind him. “I trust you.”

Cloud nodded and started the engine of the bike beneath them, letting the other get used to the rumbled beneath them before setting off for the nearby village. Moving at a sedate speed as he had promised and carefully avoiding jarring them too much and causing any unnecessary pain for the injured man behind him.

They’d get back to Banora soon enough.

* * *

 

The night had well and truly fallen by the time they returned to the village, the streets deserted and empty as Cloud brought them to a stop in front of the Inn. There were muted sounds of music and laughter spilling from the tavern he’d been in a few days previous but aside from that the streets were quiet once Cloud killed the engine, leaving the relieved sigh the brushed against his ear more than audible.

“You alright?” He asked the draconic behind him, the ride had been steady and he made sure to avoid the few holes and bit of broken road so he didn’t cause Genesis any kind of unnecessary pain. But with the full extent of the other’s injuries still unknown, he had no way of knowing if being of the bike itself was enough to pain the man.

Genesis hummed weakly, burrowing into his back now the they’d reached their destination and if was safe to move. His hands were still where Cloud had placed them, but they’d relaxed from the tense grip they’d been before and were clutching him with waning strength as the draconic buried his nose into the ticklish skin at the nape of Cloud’s neck.

Cloud’s brow furrowed at the non-answer and he gripped Genesis’ hands beneath his own, noting how cold they were compared to both his own skin and the feverish warmth pressed against his back. He needed to get the other settled inside so he could call Aerith, she’d know what to do.

He was torn from planning out how he was going to get them both off of Fenrir safely when the Inn Keeper rushed out of the building in front of him, probably having seen the slumped form against his back in the window and coming out to assist him. Whatever the reason, Cloud found himself appreciative of the kind gesture.

“What happened?” The man asked when he was close enough, looking over the two of them with obvious shock and concern. Genesis’ wing twitched at the sound of another voice and he pressed himself closer to Cloud, as if attempting to hide himself in his flesh.

“Found him in the mines,” Cloud answered shortly, rubbing his thumbs over the clenched, white-knuckle hands that were now gripping is hip. Genesis may be weary of the stranger by Cloud needed his help to get the draconic inside safely, unable to do it on his own. “Can you hold him for me while I get off?”

Genesis whined sharply and flinched at the hesitant hands that moved to gently hold him in place before freezing completely, instinct telling him that the best course of action to take was to remain still so that the danger would pass him over. Cloud quickly removed himself from Fenrir, guilt winding in his chest at the behaviour, and replaced the Inn Keeper at Genesis’ side.

The Inn Keeper stepped off to the side, watching with concerned eyes as Cloud coaxed the draconic from the bike and to the ground. He turned to the Inn when Genesis was leaning against Cloud once again, starting towards the door. “I’ll bring something right up,” he said over his shoulder, taking a few steps before Cloud stopped him.

“Not yet,” Cloud says, drawing an almost furious expression from the Inn Keeper. The man took a deep breath, ready to start tearing into him for his decision but Cloud continued, explaining his reasoning in a calm voice. “They tend to go a bit feral at the first hint of food after not eating for a while, there are things I need to do before I can deal with that.”

The Inn Keeper looks like he wants to argue with him, wants to say that Cloud has no idea what he’s talking about, but then Genesis’ wing shifts and resettles on his back and the man stops. He sighs heavily, shoulders slumping, and allows that Cloud would know more about this particular occasion than he did. “I’ll at least start something for later,” he said a moment later, shoulders straightening with renewed purpose.

“Nothing too rich,” Cloud cautioned, knowing Genesis wouldn’t be able to stomach much of anything for a while. “Come up in a few minutes, I’ll probably need you to get me some things to help him.”

The Inn Keeper nodded, striding forward to do just that and leaving Cloud to get the other inside and to his room.

Genesis relaxed completely once the man was gone, slowly lifting his head to gaze around them as Cloud directed them into the Inn. He did fairly well on the stairs but they sapped whatever strength he had left as the moment they reached the floor Cloud’s room was on, he crumbled at Cloud’s side, wing dragging along the floor and almost sending Cloud to the floor himself at the sudden dead weight.

He was thankful that his room was so close to the stairs as it meant that he wasn’t carrying the other for too long before he could deposit him on the bed, arranging him on his back in the dark room so that he had full access to his back and his large wing wasn’t being crushed under his weight. Then he turned his attention to finding a light source for the room, wanting to see exactly why Genesis’ back burned under his hand.

Flicking the light switch bathed the room in an artificial glow, forcing him to take a moment to let his eyes adjust to the sudden change in lighting. Turning back to the form sprawled out on the sheets had him freezing in place, staring at the hideous sight before him for the first time.

It was very obvious just form looking why Genesis’ back was feverish-hot to the touch; a large, open wound spanned the length of the draconic’s back, from just below his shoulder to the bottom of his ribs, surrounded by blackened, dead skin. The rest of that side of his back was a horrid green-yellow colour and looked hard and tense, bulging a bit in comparison to the other side of Genesis’ back. That certainly explained the smell of decay that hung around the draconic and permeated the air around him.

The skin around his wing was a bit better, not quite as obvious an injury, but there were still small barely-healed scars where the joint had initially emerged from his back, indicating that the skin had never quite healed correctly. It had been spared from the infection that had consumed the other side of Genesis’ back, but it still looked awful.

A gasp from beside him told him that the Inn Keeper had returned and was staring at the draconic’s injuries himself, or perhaps…

“That’s the Rhapsodos’ boy!”

… He’d recognized the man in front of them.

“I don’t want the town to know about this yet,” Cloud said, voice blank as he addressed the man. The Inn Keeper froze at Cloud’s tone, staring at him with wide eyes as he clutched his hands to his chest, listening intently to every word Cloud said. “Keep this quiet until we’re gone, understand?”

“O-of course,” the man stuttered, body tense as he waited for Cloud to accept his answer.

“Good,” Cloud nodded, turning his gaze away from the man and back to the draconic on the mattress. He pulled out his phone and started to scroll through his contacts in search of Aerith’s, “give me a minute and I’ll know what we’ll need.”

The Inn Keeper made a noise of confirmation, remaining by the door and staring at the draconic with concern and pity.

Cloud sat down next to Genesis on the mattress, resting his back against the headrest. The draconic pressed closer to him, nuzzling against his thigh and purring softly when Cloud sunk his fingers into filthy, shoulder-length hair. Cloud made a note to introduce Genesis to a bath the moment he could as he called his friend.

She answered after the fifth ring.

“I’m going to murder you if you don’t have a good reason for calling this late,” she told him in a cheerful but sleep-heavy voice, tone a total opposite from the words she was saying.

Cloud wasn’t sure if she meant them or not, but he wasn’t going to test it now. “I found someone trapped in a mine,” he started, hearing he sigh in his ear, continuing before she could cut him off, “draconic, extensive injury, he’s been down there about two years.”

Her demeanour completely changed at those words, immediately sounding more awake as she started to throw orders at him. “Text Cid to come get you, I want him here as soon as you can. Then take a picture of wound and send it to me, I need to know what we’re working with.”

“Got it, boss,” Cloud answered, quickly typing out a message to Cid before turning the camera of his phone to the plane of Genesis’ back, making sure he got as much of the discoloured skin as he could in the tiny frame, and sending it to Aerith. The stuttered breathed on the other end of the call was the only indicator of her shock, the woman remaining composed as she ordered him to collect a variety of items.

He had the Inn Keeper fetch him two large bowls of water, one larger and salted, and linen he wouldn’t miss while he took out some of the larger pieces of gauze he had with him and his Fire, Cure, Seal and Esuna materia as per Aerith’s request. He offered Genesis a few soft words of reassurance when the other tensed and tried to clutch at him to keep him in place, gently removing the weak grip and starting to locate everything the woman had asked for before ducking out of the room to scrub at his hands.

When the Inn Keeper returned with the bowls and linen Cloud set him to work tearing the fabric into strips he could use while he started to heat the bowl of salt water, putting Aerith so speaker so he could have both of his hands while he worked. The draconic tensed at the sudden inclusion of another voice in the room, hazy eyes moving across the room in an effort to locate the stranger he could hear within the room.

“I’ve got everything,” Cloud says once all the supplies at the ready and a fine mist of stream is rising from the surface of the salt water, a few pieces of linen already soaking in the liquid. The Inn Keeper had left him again, the smell of decaying flesh too strong for him to handle.

“Good, first you’re going to need to put him to sleep.” She told him. “He’s not going to enjoy the next few hours.”

“Alright,” he nodded, focusing on the Seal he had equipped to his bracer. He cast a strong Sleep spell over the draconic, watching as he first stiffened before relaxing into the mattress in a deep unconscious.

He felt a pang of guilt at casting the spell over the other but couldn’t dwell on it as Aerith was already directing him, shooting orders at him over the phone for the next few hours.

They were both exhausted by the time Cloud was covering the wound with gauze and taping it in place, the Inn Keeper had informed him that he had a pot of broth ready for them when he was ready and Aerith had lost a bit of her earlier focus, weariness creeping into her tone.

“That’s all you can do for him until you get back,” she told him around a yawn. “Try to clean him up before changing the gauze alright?”

“Yeah,” he answered, rubbing his eyes and rolled his tense shoulder. “Thanks Aerith, sorry for waking you.”

“You’ll make it up to me,” she said, words ringing like a threat in his ears. She hung up on him then, leaving him smiling fondly at his phone at his friend’s actions. He definitely would make it up to her.

He glanced down at the sleeping form on the mattress, taking in Genesis’ lax expression and the soft rise and fall of his back. He gently manoeuvred his wing onto the bed next to him so it wasn’t hanging in the air before leaving the room, hunger gnawing at his own stomach after the long day and longer night.


	4. Chapter 4

The kitchen was dark when Cloud stepped into it, empty due to the late hour. Flicking a nearby switch bathed the room in a soft, artificial light, revealing the lone, well-used pot sitting on the stove. He walked over to it, footsteps heavy from the events of the day and lifted the lid to inspect the contents within.

He breathed in the hearty smell wafting up from the pot, taking in the smell of vegetables and meat filling his nostrils. It smelled like comfort, safety and long winter nights spent by the fire. It smelled like home.

He served himself a bowl of the broth, barely tasting it as he ate due to the thoughts consuming his attention. He needed to decide how he was going to handle feeding Genesis and how to deal with the inevitable frenzy that awaited him when he did so. There was one option he could take, it could even be considered the best action to take, though he was certain that it would cause some distress for the draconic.

He didn’t think he could come up with another way though, meaning he’d be forced to go through with it, despite how much he might wish otherwise.

The draconic would not be happy with his decision but it was the best action to take for both of them; Cloud doubted that Genesis would react well if he came back to himself only to discover that he’d attacked Cloud in a feral state of hunger. Genesis had been through enough already, he didn’t need that guilt added onto it.

Cloud sighed heavily, decision made, and filled the bowl once more, this time with more meat and vegetable than soup, before placing the lid back onto the pot and leaving the room. He switched the light off as he left the room, drenching the building around him in darkness as he slowly made his way back to his room.

He paused once he reached his room, staring at the form lying on the bed under the artificial light. Genesis still looked awful, but it was better than it had been earlier; skin a little less wan and shoulders relaxed as he rested on the hideous patterned blanket. Cloud was glad that he was able to get some small amount of restful sleep, even if it had been induced by materia.

He set the bowl of broth down on the small table in the room and turned towards the bed, carefully considering his next step before deciding it was best to awaken Genesis and explain things to him. It’d help to keep the other calm and let him avoid the possibility of being bludgeoned by the draconic’s wing, a fate he had no wish to experience for himself.

It only took a quick cast of the Esuna he still had within his bracer for the other to start rousing from sleep, brows furrowing as a groan escaped his throat. Cloud stood to the side of the bed within Genesis’ peripheral, so that the draconic could see exactly where he was when he awakened.

Hazy blue eyes opened, blinking slowly as he regained consciousness. They immediately sought out Cloud’s form, pupils focusing on him intently as he figured out exactly what was occurring around him.

“Cloud,” Genesis spoke, the soft and heavy from sleep. He shifted where he lay before stilling as he registered the feeling of gauze on his back, his brow furrowed and he twisted in an attempt to see what was covering his back.

“Careful now,” Cloud said, seating himself next to the other as he reached out to still his movements before he dislodged the gauze covering his wound. He’d stuck it down using the proper tape and it most likely would remain in place despite the layers of dirt and filth covering Genesis’ skin, better to be safe than have to go through the motions of needing to reapply the gauze. “Can’t have you ruining all my hard work.”

The attempt of humour fell flat as Genesis still wasn’t all there just yet. “What?” He questioned, stopping under Cloud’s hand and staring up at him in confusion. His own hand twitched on the mattress and tried to reach out for Cloud’s, limb falling an inch or two away from Cloud’s arm.

Cloud reached out to grasp his hand, threading their fingers together and squeezing Genesis’ hand in his own, drawing a small content noise from the draconic. “Just covered up that cut on your back,” Cloud explained, leaving out the less-than pleasant details of the hours he’d spent cleaning away gangrenous flesh and rancid, green-yellow pus; he was beyond thankful that the open window in the room had aired out most of the smell. “Don’t want to ruin it until the morning.”

“What’s in the morning?” Genesis asked, sleep-haze fading as they spoke and making it easier for the other to focus on what Cloud was telling him.

“A bath for you, then I’ve got to go talk to someone before Cid gets here.” Cloud saw the question forming in the other and continued before he could give voice to it. “He’s a friend; he’ll be taking us back to Edge on his airship.”

Genesis blinked at him, processing the information before nodding slowly. “What’re you doing now then?”

“You’ve got to eat,” Cloud answered, keeping his gaze trained on Genesis’ as he spoke. “And that’s where we’ll have a bit of trouble.”

“Why?”

“You’ll probably go feral when I try to get you something,” Cloud explained, feeling the way Genesis stiffened at the words. He took a deep breath, squeezing the hand within his own as he continued. “We’ll need to do something to prevent you from hurting either of us.”

A feral draconic was no laughing matter; it had happened to Sephiroth once when they were younger, he’d been caught out in a blizzard and ended up trapped within one of the caves that littered the mountain for nearly a fortnight. The moment they tried to give him something, he’d lost himself; attacking them and leaving numerous cuts and bruises on Cloud and their Ma. They’d found him hours later, trying to gorge himself on a bloody carcass.

Cloud wanted to avoid anything like that occurring with Genesis.

“What are you planning on doing?” Genesis asked, voice filled with nerves and unease. He was still stiff next to Cloud, holding himself perfectly still and keeping his breathing as steady as he could.

Cloud took another deep breath, steeling himself for the next few minutes. “I want to bind you, keep you under control while I feed you.” It would only be for a first introduction to food and Genesis wouldn’t’ be aware of anything for most of it, but Cloud still wished there was a better solution.

“Is that the only option?” Genesis asked, voice shaking and breathing picking up. He was obviously against the decision but unfortunately, there really wasn’t another option available to them.

“We could always let you loose and pay for whatever livestock you end up tearing into,” Cloud answered, feeling Genesis recoil from him with a sharp, distressed noise at his words. “I thought this way would be easier on you.”

Genesis slumped against the mattress with a soft, defeated noise, wing twitching next to him. “Ok,” he breathed, swallowing heavily before looking up to meet Cloud’s eyes. “I, I can handle it.”

Cloud’s brow furrowed in concern at the break in Genesis’ voice, his free hand rising to thread through filthy hair in a soothing manner. “I’ll be as quick as I can,” he promised, feeling the way the other pressed into his hand. “I won’t leave you alone either.”

“Good,” Genesis breathed, relaxing minutely beside him.

Cloud nodded, lifting himself from the bed to his feet. “Give me a minute,” he said, moving to dig out the rope from his pack before returning to the bed. “Hold this,” he said, presenting the coil to the draconic so he could inspect it before turning his attention to the pillow at the head of the bed and removing it’s covering.

Genesis was twisting the rope in his hands when Cloud turned his attention back to him, getting a feel for how flexible and surprisingly soft it was. The pillowcase would act as an extra barrier between the other’s fragile skin and the rope, as well as away from Cloud’s own skin, and Genesis wouldn’t break the thing due to the fact that he had nails instead of sharp talons.

“You ready?” Cloud asked, waiting for Genesis to nod before he reached out for the other man’s shoulder. “Good, let’s get you sitting up first. Then we’ll start.”

Genesis hummed softly and secured his hands under his body before lifting himself from the mattress, accepting Cloud’s assistance to get himself sitting on the bed. A bit of twisting had him turned so that his back face the headboard of the bed, leaning forward a bit with the bare pillow at his back and wing tucked against his side.

“Is this good?” Genesis asked once he was in a comfortable position, hands still clenched around the rope.

“Yeah,” Cloud said, reaching out to grasp Genesis’ hand within his own. He took the rope from the draconic, putting it to the side for the moment and picking up the pillowcase once again. “I’m going to get both your hands in here and then bind your arms, ok?” Explaining things before he did them would help to keep the draconic calm and would allow the other to prepare himself for Cloud’s next move.

Genesis nodded silently, taking a deep breath as Cloud released his hand. He held them together as Cloud raised the pillowcase and lowered it over his arms until they were covered by the fabric, his fingers obvious under the pattern.

Cloud picked up the rope then, speaking quietly as he worked.

“I’m going to start here, just above your elbows, and bind them together; it’ll lock your lower arms together. Just a knot here and a quick check to make sure it’s not too tight, good.” He paused for a moment, glancing up at Genesis’ face to ensure he was still doing alright before continuing to work. “Now, I’m going to wrap it around your chest and tie it here to bind them even further. That’ll be it.”

Genesis was still watching him closely, but his breathing seemed to have evened out somewhat as Cloud worked; panic receding as Cloud did exactly what he said he would do and nothing more. It eased a bit of the weight from Cloud’s shoulders to see it.

“There,” Cloud said as he finished the knot, checking how tight it was against the other’s skin before removing his hands from the other and letting the end of the rope rest to the side. “That should do it.”

“What about, m-my wing?” Genesis asked, extending the limb in question before tucking it back against his side. “Won’t I try to hurt you with it?”

“You probably will,” Cloud answered, looking over the limb himself before sighing softly. “I don’t want to hurt you by accident though, so I think it’d be best to leave it be. I’ll be on the other side of your back so it shouldn’t be able to do too much damage.”

Genesis blinked at him, considering his answer before nodding. “Alright, if you think it’ll be fine.”

“I do,” Cloud answered, lifting himself to his feet. “I’m just going to get it, give me a second.” He was across the room once he’d gotten the nod Genesis, moving the table over to the side of the bed before feeding a small amount of fire magic into the bowl to heat it. He positioned himself behind the draconic, careful of the other’s wound and picked up the trailing end of the rope. “Alright?” He asked once he was situated, legs bracketed on either side of Genesis’ hips and the other leaning back against him.

“I suppose,” Genesis answered, shifting against him as his wing fidgeted where it lay. “How are you going to do this?”

“Like this,” Cloud answered, tone distracted as he lifted the hand holding the rope to Genesis jaw, holding him in place as he raised a spoon of broth to his mouth. Genesis froze against him, a low rumbling sound filling the room as the smell of food invaded his senses.

A drop of the broth of his tongue was all it took to send the draconic into a frenzy, snapping and snarling against him as he fought for more of the broth. Cloud kept his grip on him though, legs shifting to rest over Genesis’ and hand tight on his jaw. His wing was beating uselessly at the wall and mattress, the sound loud in Cloud’s ears.

He dropped the spoon into the bowl, picking out a large piece of meat between his fingers instead and offering it to the draconic. The grip Cloud had on his jaw prevented Genesis from moving to snap off a finger as he feed the piece to the other.

He calmed down after a few minutes, snarls dying down to faint grumbles as Cloud continued to feed him at a steady rate. His wing had stilled as well, the limb stiff where it was spread across the mattress. There were a few more pieces left in the bowl amongst the soup and then Genesis would fall into a sated sleep until morning.

Things were going much better than he had expected.

* * *

 

Cloud was jerked out of sleep by his phone’s ringtone, loud and shrill in the quiet of the early morning. He shot up from where he’d been seated against the side of the bed, gaze sweeping across the room in a sleepy grogginess. His eyes immediately snapped to the form resting on the mattress behind him as the sounds of soft groaning reached his ears.

Genesis was currently still asleep but he needed to find his phone before the loud, incessant noise woke him.

Cloud lifted himself to his feet sluggishly, nearly falling to the ground as he did so, and carefully made his way to where he’d left the device the night before. He managed to dig it out of his pack before the end of the third ring, answering it immediately and holding it to his ear. “Hello?”

“Don’t you fucking ‘hello’ me!” The voice shouting directly into his ear told Cloud that answering without checking the caller ID was a bad idea. “What the hell do you mean by an ‘urgent evac’?! What the hell did you manage to get yourself into this time?”

How could Cid manage to be so loud so early in the morning?

“Morning Cid,” Cloud greeted earning another round of vitriol from the pilot.

“Bet your arse it’s fucking morning! Do you know what time your message came through?!” Cloud blinked at the device in his hands, knowing Cid well enough by now to know when an answer wasn’t necessary. “Two in the Goddamn Morning! That’s when it came through! What’s so important that it needs to come in at 2-fucking-AM?!”

“Didn’t you already say you were coming?” He asked as he opened up his camera roll from the previous night. Cid had sent him a response the previous night, but he supposed the man needed to tell him exactly how concerned he was for him.

“Of course, I am,” Cid shot back, anger replaced by indignation. “I just wanna know what I should be expecting when I get there!”

An inquisitive hum had Cloud turning back to the bed where Genesis was watching him with hazy, blue eyes. He offered the man a smile as he sent the pilot the picture he’d taken for Aerith the night before, lifting the phone back to his ear in time to hear Cid’s startled gasp over the phone.

“Fuckin’ hell!” Cid exclaimed, loud enough to startle Genesis from where he was reclined on the mattress. “No wonder Aerith’s been texting me all morning!”

“Yup,” Cloud moved to sit next to Genesis on the mattress, looking over the bandage on the other’s back as he did. It wasn’t soaked from discharge due to the fact that Cloud hadn’t had anything on hand that would draw it out of the wound, so it would last until he replaced it after he got the other into a bath. “I was up all night on the phone with her.”

Genesis shifted on the mattress behind him, lifting himself from his lying position using his hands. “Well, I should get there around noon,” Cid informed him, words level and serious. Genesis moved until he was seated with his back towards the headboard, wing stretching out against the mattress and resting with the bulk of its weight against Cloud’s lap.

“We’ll see you then Cid,” Cloud said, gaze trained on the heavy limb as he hung up the phone. It seemed he’d have more than enough time to do what he needed to before the pilot came to retrieve them, namely get Genesis cleaned up and check on a certain pair of individuals.

He closed his phone before tucking it into a pocket, turning to look at the draconic. “My friend’s coming to get us,” he explained at the other’s confused expression, gently getting him to raise his wing before he lifted himself from the bed to rummage through his pack. “He’ll get here around noon.”

“And until then?” Genesis asked around a yawn, rubbing at his tired eyes with a delicate hand. There were deep, purple circles under his eyes, Cloud had noticed them the day before but they were far more prominent in the morning light.

“You’re going to have a bath,” Cloud answered, pulling out a pair of loose pants for Genesis to change into afterwards, he didn’t have anything he could give the man to wear as a shirt though so the other would have to make due. “Then I’ve got to do something before we leave.”

“Y-you’ll leave?” Genesis asked in a nervous stutter, wing curling closer to his body.

Cloud’s eyes immediately turned to him from his pack, lifting himself up to move back over to the other. “I’ll be back,” he promised the other, meeting Genesis’ gaze steadily. “I’m only going to be half-an-hour at the most. Promise.”

Genesis nodded, accepting his words even if he didn’t quite believe him just yet.

“Good,” Cloud sighed, standing straight and handing Genesis the pants he had found for him. “Let’s tackle that bath then, now that that’s out of the way.”

Genesis nodded hesitantly, taking a deep breath and letting Cloud help him to his feet. He was much steadier this morning. Cloud could probably leave him to his own devices without having to worry about him drowning, he just needed to ensure that the other’s back was clean so he could cover the wound once again.

Cloud guided them towards the bathroom, leaving Genesis to consider his expression in the mirror as he inspected the bath. The other would be able to work it without his assistance, he decided, turning back to the image of the other raising a pale hand to feel out the horns that rose from his hair.

The one that remained curved backwards and up, it was a deep red with a brighter ruby marking out a spiral pattern that tapered out at the blunt tip. Genesis’ hand froze for a moment before he moved onto the other one, tracing the hideous break left behind when the rest of the horn was hacked away. It was uneven and jagged; Cloud had avoided touching it so he was unaware if it was sharp enough to open skin. They’d probably have to even out the stump left behind somehow, but that could wait until much later.

“Genesis?” Cloud asked, drawing the other’s attention away from his reflection in the mirror. “You doing alright?”

“Yes,” the other answered, casting a final look at his features before moving over to Cloud. “I’m fine.”

Cloud hummed softly, accepting the answer and moving away from the bath and out of the door. “I’ll just be out here if you need anything,” he told the draconic. “Make sure to get as much of your back as you can.”

Genesis nodded and Cloud sent him a smile before he closed the door, leaving him to his own devices. He kept an ear trained on the other as he moved around the room, changing his own clothes before starting to pack away his supplies so he’d be ready when Cid arrived to get them.

The sound of knocking against the door to the room drew his attention, opening it revealed the Inn Keeper standing there with a collection of food. Cloud blinked at him, surprised at the offer being presented to him.

“I, well,” the man started, feet shuffling awkwardly at the door. His gaze shifted continuously, barely landing on Cloud’s a moment before flicking away again. “I brought you up something to eat. I hope that’s ok.”

“Thank you,” Cloud said, shaking himself enough to take the food from the man’s hands and moving back into the room. “This is very kind of you.”

“It’s no trouble,” the man said, hands raised in front of his chest and head shaking vigorously. “I just wanna help the young Rhapsodos while I can. He was a good boy, a bit forceful, but a good boy. He didn’t deserve anything bad to ever happen to him.” He sounded sure of himself and confident of his words, without any lie or hesitation in his voice.

“Nobody deserves what happened to him,” Cloud responded in a sorrowful voice, setting the tray down on the table he hadn’t bothered to move away from the bed last night. He turned back to the man, breathing a soft sigh before dismissing him gently. “Someone’s going to be picking us up around noon, I’ll have the bill settled by then.”

“I shall see you then, lad.” The Inn Keeper said with an understanding smile on his face, turning away from Cloud and leaving the room.

Cloud watched him leave the room closely, locking the door once the man was gone and he was alone in the room. He moved back to the table when the sounds of footsteps faded from his ears, inspecting what the Inn Keeper had brought up for them.

It was mostly pieces of fresh fruit, arranged in small slices on a plate and a small helping of eggs and meat. Cloud picked out one of the apple slices, considering its blue-purple skin before shrugging and taking a bite. It was sweet and crisp, juices running down his throat as the fruit’s unique flavour stimulated his tongue.

No wonder they had entire orchards of these things, they were amazing. A cry from the bathroom had him stiffening, turning towards the bathroom door and quickly removing the distance between himself and the other.

“Genesis?” He called out, voice tinged with concern, knocking lightly on the door. “You alright in there?”

“I’m fine!” Genesis called back, words accompanied by the sounds of sloshing water. “Nothing to be concerned about! It’s just the…”

“The wing?” Cloud suggested after a moment of silence, relaxing a bit from his state of panic. The extra limb would prove difficult to manoeuvre, even with the flexibility afforded to the other by the extra joint in his wing, of course Genesis was having difficulties with it.

“Yes,” Genesis admitted in an irritated growl, barely audible through the wood of the door. “How the hell is this supposed to work?”

“Practice,” Cloud responded with an unseen shrug, removing himself from the door now that he was sure that the other wasn’t drowning in there. “Or getting someone to help you.” He knew Angeal needed help with his own wings, the limbs too stiff for him to care for on his own.

Genesis grumbled something unheard by Cloud’s ears as he walked away from the door, trusting that the other would call for him if he needed his assistance. He returned to the table to pick at a few pieces of the fruit the Inn Keeper had brought up for them, waiting for the other to emerge from the bathroom so he could inspect the other’s wound.

Once that was done he’d be free to make his way to the Rhapsodos’ residence to speak with them about why they’d left their son trapped within the labyrinth of the mines.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a long of issues just sitting down and writing this chapter out, I hope it came out ok though!!

Cloud looked up from the screen of his phone when he heard the door to the bathroom open, closing his chat with Zack, his friend had been updating him about the flurry of activity Aerith had descended into, to focus upon the draconic that was lingering in the doorway. “You ok?” He asked softly, meeting the other’s nervous gaze.

“Yes,” Genesis breathed, glancing around the room before his eyes zeroed in on the plate of food on the table by the bed. His brow furrowed, and he shifted on his feet, glancing back to Cloud’s gaze. “Will you need to,” he swallowed heavily, eyes dropping from Cloud’s face for a moment before returning. “Restrain me, again?”

“No,” Cloud promised with a shake of his head, remaining where he sat. “You’ll be alright.”

“What if I’m not?” Genesis asked, keeping his attention focused on Cloud even as tension started to fill his frame. “What if I go,” he trailed off, unwilling to say the word. “What if I hurt someone?”

“You won’t,” Cloud stated, sure and confident. He stood from his seat, approaching the other slowly and stopping within arm’s reach. “You’re going to be just fine. Nothing’s going to happen.”

Genesis swallowed heavily, but nodded, gaze focused on Cloud. “All right,” he said slowly, hands releasing their tight grip on the doorway. “If you’re sure.”

“I am,” he stepped back from the other so the draconic could move further into the room, gesturing towards the bed. “Sit down and I’ll bandage you wound again.”

Genesis hummed an affirmation, moving to follow his suggestion and seating himself on the edge of the bed closest to the plate the Inn Keeper had brought up. But he didn’t reach out to the plate, keeping his hands clenched in his lap as he sat still, watching him closely from the corner of his eye.

Cloud found himself angered at the action that could only be a conditioned response, but he forced himself not to react, keeping his face carefully neutral so he didn’t scare the other. He took a deep breath, slowly releasing it before speaking, keeping his voice soft and gentle. “Go on, it’ll be alright.”

Genesis flinched minutely, curling into himself and avoiding Cloud’s gaze by focusing on his knees. He watched the draconic swallow heavily before he responded, the words directed down at the ground. “Of course,” he shifted, fists tightening where they rested on his knees. “But what about you?”

“I’ve already eaten,” he assured him, watching some of the tension bleed from the other’s form. He turned towards where he’d placed the new bandage when he’d packed up his belongings earlier, picking it up and moving to stand by the bed, aware of the way glowing, feline eyes tracked his movements. “I’m putting the new bandage on now, the other one most likely came off while you were in the bath.”

Genesis’ head nodded in a jerky movement, his attention remaining focused upon him as Cloud slowly sat on the bed behind him. There was a moment of quiet stillness between them as Cloud looked at the open wound, taking in the sight of bloody, pulsing skin and the flared, puffy edges of the surrounding skin, Aerith had had him clean out the foul-smelling pus from the wound from the previous night and it had left the wound glaringly empty.

He reached out to prod gingerly at the blackened skin surrounding the wound, aware that the other most likely couldn’t feel his touch but wanting to be gentle all the same. The skin was hard and firm under his hand, stiff and ungiving under his touch even as he pressed down onto it.

He pulled his hand away from the other’s back, distantly noticing that Genesis had started to pick at the food in front of him, and picked up the large bandage, carefully covering the wound in its entirety. He ensured it was lying flat over the wound, mindlessly skimming his fingers over feverish skin and drawing a small kittenish noise from the draconic.

He paused at the sound, realizing what he’d done and pulling his hand away awkwardly as the other pressed back against it with another soft sound. “There,” he said, clearing his throat and inspecting the bandage as he stood from the bed. It would hold until they reached Edge, then Aerith would work her magic on the draconic and hopefully do a much better job at it.

Genesis hummed, the sound sad to Cloud’s ears, showing that he’d heard him, wing fluttering as he continued to pick at the food the Inn Keeper had brought up for them, having worked his way through most of it already. Cloud moved around the bed, returning to his seat only to have his arm caught by a strong grip.

He turned back to the draconic, head cocked questioningly, taking in his nervous expression and adverted eyes. The grip on his arm tugged him back towards the bed and Cloud allowed it, sitting on the bed next to Genesis and waiting for the other to make his next move.

Genesis continued to avoid his gaze, brows furrowed over his eyes but kept his grip on Cloud’s arm. He took several deep breaths, tightening his grip before moving in a sudden movement, butting his head against Cloud’s should and curling into him.

Cloud froze at the sudden action but remained in place, letting Genesis do as he wished, keeping himself relaxed under the tense line of the other’s form. The draconic’s muscles loosened slowly at Cloud’s continued to do nothing to remove him from his space, breathing a deep sigh against his shoulder before shifting to a more comfortable position, wing spreading over Cloud to hold him in place alongside the hands now gripping his shirt.

He slowly lifted a hand to Genesis’ hair, still limp and knotted from his time imprisoned underground but now a noticeable crimson colour after being washed, and slowly started to card his fingers through the strands, untangling them slowly. Genesis huffed against his shoulder and pressed closer to him, needing the physical proof of comfort and security that came from being curled against another person.

Genesis’ breathing slowly started to even out, having already extinguished all the energy he’d gotten his night of rest. It would be quite some time before Genesis would be able to remain awake for an extended period of time, Cloud was sure he’d have a sporadic sleeping schedule for some time to come.

At the very least, he’d be too lethargic to fight with the other two when they made it back to Edge, so he wouldn’t have to worry about that for a while. Hopefully, they’d be getting along by the time Genesis had enough energy to even consider something like that and he’d be able to avoid it altogether.

He doubted it would be so easy; Seph and Angeal had been hostile towards each other for a long time after they’d met each other, but it didn’t hurt to hope.

He allowed the draconic to rest against him for a few moments before ceasing the movements of his fingers, an action that prompted a displeased huff. He was not looking forward to the next few minutes, he didn’t doubt that it would only cause a bit of stress for Genesis, but it was far better than the alternative option.

“I’ve got to go out for a while,” he felt the way Genesis tensed against him at his words, head snapping up to stare up at him and hands tightening into fists in the fabric of his shirt. He met the wide, terrified eyes focused on him unblinkingly, keeping his own features as calm as he could as he continued to speak. “There are somethings I need to handle before we leave.”

“But,” Genesis breathed, voice clearly displaying his terror. “But you’ll come back right? You’re not, you’re not leaving me here, right?” The draconic’s hands were stark white where they fisted in his shirt, and wide, glowing eyes stared up at him unblinkingly as his chest began to rise and fall rapidly.

“I promise I will,” Cloud answered, keeping his voice calm and quiet so as to reassure the other. There was so much obvious tension in the draconic’s shoulders, his frame was practically trembling from it. “I’m leaving my things here, so you know I’ll have to come back.”

Genesis stared at him for another few moments before heaving a sigh, gaze dropping away from Cloud’s own. “Ok,” he breathed, loosening his grip on Cloud though he didn’t let him go. “Ok.”

Cloud gently grasped the other’s chin in his hand, guiding his face to meet his own. “Hey,” he said softly, waiting until inhuman, glowing eyes focused on his own. “I’m going to come back. I swear.”

Genesis searched his gaze silently, tension slowly slipping from his face. “I trust you,” the draconic murmured, the words soft and fragile. “Just, come back soon. Please?”

“As quickly as I can,” he answered, feeling the other’s hands release him. He remained where he was though, waiting for Genesis to move away first. “Why don’t you have a rest while I’m gone? Sleep for a little bit, you’ll be safe until I get back.”

“Can you, stay? Until I fall asleep?” The request was soft, hesitant and sounding all too brittle in Cloud’s ears.

“Of course,” he answered, shifting until the draconic could spread out on the bed properly. Genesis curled up next to him, tucking himself close to Cloud’s side and spreading the heavy weight of his wing over him. “I’ll stay until you’re asleep.”

“Thank you,” he said, speaking the words softly against Cloud’s side. Breathing evening out soon enough as his exhausted body fell into slumber and he slumped against him.

Cloud waited until the draconic’s breathing was even and deep before moving from under him, standing from the bed. He pulled the blanket up around the draconic’s shoulders, so he doesn’t become cold while he’s away, before turning away and leaving the room, closing the door securely behind him.

He descended the stairs quickly, almost running into the Inn-Keeper at the base of them. “Ah, my apologies,” the man said, stepping back and giving Cloud a bit of space. “I was just coming up to check in on you and the young Master Rhapsodos.”

“That’s alright,” Cloud answered, stepping down to the ground floor of the inn. “He’s sleeping now. He needs it.”

“That’s good to hear,” the man sighed, looking relieved at Cloud’s words. “Are you heading out now?”

“Just for a few minutes. I’ll return within the hour.” Cloud swept his gaze around the otherwise empty room before focusing back on the Inn-Keeper, “I’ll settle my bill now, before I go.” It would be for the best, getting it out of the way so he didn’t forget about it later.

“Of course! Come into the office and we’ll get it sorted.” The man turned towards a door off the side of the main room, leading Cloud inside so they could get everything sorted before he went to talk to the Rhapsodos’.

* * *

 

Cloud makes his way back to the Rhapsodos’ household quickly, perhaps pushing past whatever speed limit might have existed in Banora, to get there even quicker than he would have otherwise. The outside of the house looked no different than it had a few days before, showing no signs that the people within had sent someone to murder the son they’d abandoned within a mine.

The discovery of Genesis gave a bit of context to the overgrown garden of plants and flowers he’d seen the first time, and wasn’t that a terrible realization? The Rhapsodos’ had let something their son had obviously put a lot of time, effort and love into become an overgrown mess, letting weeds strangle and destroy the carefully cultivated plants while their child starved and struggled in the chains they’d bound him in?

What monsters could have done that to someone they’d accepted into their home and raised for years?

Cloud knocked at the door, barely touching the door before it swung open, unlocked and open. His breath stuttered in his chest at the sight of the door opening without someone on the other side, anger, dread and disbelief mixing in his chest as a single thought consumed his thoughts.

Had they really dared to …?

He stepped into the dead silent house, looking around himself at the halls that seemed so much emptier than they had the last time he’d been here. He stepped into the room he’d spoken to the Rhapsodos’ during the first visit, seeing it barren of everything but an envelop sitting on two old, leather bound books in the middle of the room.

Cloud made his way over to the dust-covered items, picking them up and looking them over, starting with the books. One was a poem, an old one by the looks of it, the pages well loved, and the binding replaced and repaired where numerous readings had caused it to fray, the pages spotted with age and numerous leaflets of notes practically falling from the pages, each one showing a progress of understanding of study and of writing. One of what he assumed was the oldest pieces read with the messy scrawl of a child. The other was larger, thicker, a book of fairy-tale, myth and legend, lacking the notes the poem held but no less loved and well-read. The illustrations were of excellent quality, the colours, though faded with age, still depicting beautiful images of knights and princesses, dragons and birds wreathed in flame and shadow.

Next, he turned his attention to the envelope, opening it and pulling sheets of thick parchment from within. The first was the deed to the Rhapsodos’ Banora White Orchards and Company, including ownership of the trees that surrounded Banora, the second was a will; signed the day after he’d met with the Rhapsodos’ stating everything they’d owned was now his, including this house and their orchards, witnessed and signed by an attorney while he’d been seeking out their son to murder him at their orders. Under that was the deed to their home and a statement holding their monetary wealth, his now he supposed.

Finally, there was a letter, flowing, cursive letters running across a lighter piece of parchment and addressing him. He stopped reading after the first sentence, unable to bring himself to continue to look at their excuses and justifications in locking their child away in the dark depths of the Banora Underground and their apologies at sending him to find what they’d assumed to be a corpse. One thing he does see though, is the request to bury all three of them together in their family’s plot in the local cemetery.

His dread settles as a heavy weight in his stomach, his nose finally picking up on a faint, but achingly familiar scent. Cloud swallowed heavily, steps faltering as he stumbled his way from the room and towards the stairs that lead to the second story, just as bare as the floor below.

The scent was stronger up here, clearly originating from one of the closed doors lining the halls. Cloud raised his arms to his face, burying his nose in the fabric of his sleeve as he opened the door, getting a face full of overripe meat and the pungent smell of decay that brought tears to his eyes.

The sight before him was a particularly horrid sight.

Mr and Mrs Rhapsodos were hanging next to each other at the foot of a bed that very obviously wasn’t the one they shared together, it was too small to fit two adults next to each other comfortably. Cloud glanced around the room to avoid looking at the two in front of him, gaze focusing on the writing desk and the letter congratulating Mr Genesis Rhapsodos in getting into Kalm’s Institute of Language and Literature.

Cloud’s breath stuttered in his chest and he fled the room, forcing himself out of the front door and back out into the fresh, untainted air outside. He took a few moments to take several deep breaths, calming his heart and removing the scent from his nose before straightening himself out again, closing the door behind him and walking back to his bike.

He needed to inform the local authorities that he’d found the Rhapsodos’ like that, including the letter than named him heir to their fortune and most likely the most suspicious person in the village. He forced himself to focus on the road in front of him as he made his way back to the town proper, keeping his mind busy as he left the house behind him.

He was swept into a flurry of activity once he stepped into the local sheriff’s office and explained what he’d found, having to give his testimony and whereabouts over the previous few days numerous times. While the man didn’t exactly trust him, he trusted the Inn-Keeper that confirmed that Cloud had left for the Banora mines the day the Rhapsodos’ died.

He also trusted the attorney that said that Mr and Mrs Rhapsodos had been very calm and unhurried when they invited him around to get their affairs in order, though he’d thought they were simply preparing for the inevitable, not planning what they were. He was just as shocked as they’d all been when he heard what Cloud had to say about finding them in their son’s abandoned bedroom, not quite able to believe what he was hearing.

Cloud didn’t bring awareness to the fact that he had Genesis Rhapsodos resting in his room at the inn and was very thankful that the Inn-Keeper had remained silent on the matter as well, he didn’t want to disturb Genesis with whatever questions the local sheriff wanted to ask him. Genesis didn’t need this right now, didn’t need people questioning why his parents had imprisoned him for two years in the depth of the Banora Underground.

Cloud was going to protect him from the rest of the village’s attention for as long as he could, the draconic deserved that much.

When he finally returned to his room at the inn, it was far past the initial hour he’d promised he’d be away. Genesis was already awake when he stepped inside, curled into himself where he sat up on the bed.

His eyes snapped to Cloud when he entered, followed by him scrambling up to stand in front of him, wing fluttering and twitching nervously

“You’re back,” Genesis breathed, the word relieved as he curled his arm around himself a bit. “I-I was worried when I woke up and…” He trailed off, staring anywhere but at Cloud as the words stopped in his throat.

“Hey, it’s alright,” Cloud breathed, stepping forward to lay a comforting hand on the other’s arm. “I’m sorry, I just, got caught up in something unexpected.” Genesis was trembling lightly under his hand, he wasn’t going to take what Cloud needed to tell him well at all.

“Wha-what happened?” The draconic asked, head bowed forward so crimson strands hid his features from Cloud’s eyes.

Cloud sighed heavily, reaching into a pocket and pulling out the two books he’d found with the letter and handing them to the draconic. The reaction was instantaneous, hands moving forward to take them gently form his hands before cradling to his chest before Genesis curled around them the slightest amount.

At least he’d know where his books would be if any went missing in the future.

“I went to see your parents,” Cloud breathed, watching the way the other stiffened completely at his words. “They’re… not with us anymore.”

Cloud watched, watching the other closely. And, after a few moments of processing, he had a sobbing draconic against his chest, body trembling and breath catching in his throat as Cloud did his best to comfort him. The other showed no signs of stopping anytime soon, trauma, exhaustion and emotional turmoil mixing in his chest until he was left with a flood of emotions he couldn’t properly deal with.

Cloud just held him as he wept, providing a steady, reassuring presence for the other to break down against.


End file.
